During This Voyage More Of The Eastern Coast Of
Greenland Was Discovered Than Had Been Previously Known.
In his second
voyage, which was undertaken in 1608, he endeavoured to sail between Nova
Zembla and Spitzbergen, but unsuccessfully:
Of this and his first voyage we
have very imperfect accounts. His third voyage was undertaken for the
Dutch: in this he discovered the river in America which bears his name. His
fourth and last voyage, in which he perished, and to which he owes his
principal fame as a navigator, was in the service of the Russia Company of
England. In this voyage he reached the strait which bears his name: his
crew mutinied at this place, and setting him on shore, returned to England.
As soon as the Russia Company learned the fate of Hudson, they sent one
Captain Button in search of him, and also to explore the straits which he
had discovered: in this voyage Hudson's Bay was discovered. Button's
journal was never published: it is said, however, to have contained some
important observations on the tides, and other objects of natural
philosophy.
The existence of such a bay as Hudson's was described to be, induced the
merchants of England to believe that they had at length found out the
entrance to a passage which would lead them to the East Indies: many
voyages were therefore undertaken, in a very short time after this bay had
been discovered. The most important was that of Bylot and Baffin: they
advanced through Davis's Straits into an extensive sea, which they called
Baffin's Bay: they proceeded, according to their account, as far north as
the latitude 78 deg.. The nature and extent of this discovery was very much
doubted at the time, and subsequently, till the discoveries of Captains
Ross and Parry, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, proved that
Baffin was substantially accurate and faithful.
Baffin's voyage took place in the year 1616: after this there was no voyage
undertaken with the same object, till the year 1631, when Captain Fox
sailed from Deptford. He had been used to the sea from his youth, and had
employed his leisure time in collecting all the information he could
possibly obtain, respecting voyages, to the north. He was besides well
acquainted with some celebrated mathematicians and cosmographers,
particularly Thomas Herne, who had carefully collected all the journals and
charts of the former voyages, with a view to his business, which was that
of a maker of globes. When Fox was presented to Charles I, his majesty gave
him a map, containing all the discoveries which had been made in the north
seas. He discovered several islands during the voyage, but not the passage
he sought for; though he is of opinion, that if a passage is to be found,
it must be in Sir Thomas Roe's Welcome, - a bay he discovered near an island
of that name, in north latitude 64 deg. 10', not far from the main land, on the
west side of Hudson's Bay. He published a small treatise on the voyage,
called The North-west Fox, which contains many important facts and
judicious observations on the ice, the tides, compass, northern lights, &c.
Captain James sailed on the same enterprise nearly at the same time that
Fox did. His account was printed by King Charles's command, in 1633: it
contains some remarkable physical observations respecting the intenseness
of the cold, and the accumulation of ice, in northern latitudes; but no
discovery of moment. He was of opinion, that no north-west passage existed.
The last voyage in the seventeenth century, in search of this passage, was
undertaken in consequence of the representations of a Frenchman to Charles
II. From the same cause proceeded the establishment of the Hudson's Bay
Company by that monarch.
Canada was at this time colonized by the French; and a French settler
there, De Gronsseliers, an enterprising and speculative man, after
travelling in various directions, reached a country, where he received
information respecting Hudson's Bay: he therefore resolved to attempt to
reach this bay by sea. In the course of this undertaking he met with a few
English, who had settled themselves near Port Nelson River: these he
attacked, and by their defeat became master of the country. He afterwards
explored the whole district, and returned to Quebec with a large quantity
of valuable furs and English merchandize; but meeting with ill-treatment in
Quebec, and afterwards at the court of France, he came to England, where he
was introduced to the Count Palatine Rupert. The prince patronized all
laudable and useful enterprises; and persuaded the king to send out Captain
Gillam, and the Frenchman with him. The ship was loaded with goods to
traffic for furs. They passed through Hudson's Straits to Baffin's Bay, as
far as 75 degrees north latitude: they afterwards sailed as far to the
south as 51 degrees, where, near the banks of a river, called after Prince
Rupert, they built Charles Fort. This was the first attempt to carry on
commerce in this part of America.
We must now return to the period of the first attempt to find out a
north-east passage to India. A society of merchants had been formed in
London for this purpose. Sebastian Cabot, either the son or the grandson of
John Cabot, and who held the situation of grand pilot of England under
Edward VI., was chosen governor of this society. Three vessels were fitted
out: one of them is particularly noticed in the contemporary accounts, as
having been sheathed with thin plates of lead. Sir Hew Willoughby had the
chief command: Captain Richard Chanceller and Captain Durfovill commanded
the other two vessels under him. Willoughby, having reached 72 degrees of
north latitude, was obliged by the severity of the season to run his ship
into a small harbour, where he and his crew were frozen to death. Captain
Durfovill returned to England. Chanceller was more fortunate; for he
reached the White Sea, and wintered in the Dwina, near the site of
Archangel.
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